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Eddie Vedder Does Ukulele Album

May 31, 2011

After Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder went out on his own limb with his 2007 solo album and self-titled, supporting soundtrack to the movie “Into the Wild,” many invested a newfound faith and appreciation in the independent capabilities of the longtime Seattle musician.

Vedder's new album features songs written as long as 10 years ago, but not without fresh classics and covers performed alongside friends.

Selling approximately 370,000 copies in its ten months, Vedder’s freshmen release spawned contagious folk and earth-ridden hits such as “Rise Up,” “Guaranteed” and “Hard Sun,” shining a leftist light on a singer long known for the wailing support of his Pearl Jam brethren.

Now Vedder is once again trailing the unknown path, challenging his musical ingenuity with his new album Ukulele Songs, set for release tomorrow, May 31st. This self-limiting experiment features Vedder solely on the Ukulele, strumming quaint, sometimes peaceful melodies with his signature, strong vocal accompaniment.

The album clocks in at a hardly risky 34 minutes and 50 seconds, which is already available for your listening forecast via NPR

Including songs penned over a decade ago, a few choice cover songs inject a refreshing addition to a hardly serious, 16 track collection. Guest appearances by Glen Hansard of the Everly Brothers (“Sleepless Nights”) and Cat Power (“Tonight You Belong to Me”) provide a strong supporting cast.

Joining the release of the physical album is a new concert DVD entitled “Water on the Road,” directed by Christoph Green and Fugazi’s Brendan Cant. The rock-doc features Vedder playing Pearl Jam songs, covers and even select throwbacks from the Into the Wild chapter.